


Imagine

by orphan_account



Series: RitsuKasa - Cursed AU [1]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Body Horror, Demonic Possession, Developing Relationship, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:33:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25200184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Ritsu could only begin to imagine.(Demon/Cursed Child AU)
Relationships: Sakuma Ritsu/Suou Tsukasa
Series: RitsuKasa - Cursed AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1871035
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	Imagine

**Author's Note:**

> i'm up at 3 am writing this because why not?
> 
> this is my first time writing actual angst with this ship so i'm apologizing in advance if it's inaccurate in any way.

Ritsu dabbed at the scars with a cloth of disinfectant. His patient winced, but held strong. Admirably so. That said, Ritsu could see how strained his jaw was from clenching so hard, and didn't miss how he gripped onto the chair so hard it started to splinter.

“They really did a number on you, huh.”

The boy with the mark, as always, said nothing. It was eerie, the way the burns and bone-deep wounds twisted and melded under Ritsu's hands. Right before his eyes. They still left scars, though. Pale, white scars just like the ones disfiguring the rest of Tsukasa's body.

After a satisfactory check, Ritsu tested Tsukasa's fingers, one by one. They bent all the right ways, didn't seem too crooked. He received a hiss of poorly concealed pain for his troubles, but nothing more.

“Alright!” Ritsu said cheerily, clapping his hands with enthusiasm that wasn't shared. “It's amazing how fast you heal. Would you mind turning around now, and take the top of your yukata off too. I'd like to see the mark.”

Tsukasa flushed crimson, but many times going through the motions had softened his embarrassment to an extent. Ritsu thought it was cute. A reminder that he was more than just the demon child.

Tsukasa turned around before letting his yukata fall from his shoulders slowly, and Ritsu was left to purse his lips sullenly at the network of scars across Tsukasa’s back, tense with lean muscle like the rest of him, built to run, built to fight. Some of these scars were wounds, stark white with new flesh. Some of them were not.

Spanning between his shoulder blades, Tsukasa wore the cursed mark, a demonic brand, a sign of the devil itself. It was an angry red, daring Ritsu to touch it. When he moved his hand to dab the mark with the cloth, the skin around the centre, on the spine, peeled open to reveal one tainted, veiny, demonic eye. It followed the movement of his hand with a glare.

“...You can't feel that, can you?” he asked.

“No.”

“Huh.”

Ritsu, wisely deciding to leave the eye for now, instead let his eyes wander to the rest of the flesh that wasn't marred by the unsightly mark - it was starting to blacken, cracking near the epicentre like blighted earth, starting from the mark and spreading outwards. Veins were just visible under the skin, with a reddish tint to them. Unseeming things bulged where the blight was taking hold under the skin. Some already started to pierce through the skin like new teeth.

He couldn't really sugarcoat this, and he knew Tsukasa wouldn't want that, anyway. “It's getting worse,” he said, “I don't know what's going to happen.”

“I know.” Tsukasa's voice sounded so small, so resigned. And Ritsu knew that he knew, too. “I know, but…”

“I'll keeping looking for a cure,” Ritsu assured him, his fingers finding purchase in the head of red hair. He massaged close to the scalp, hoping to alleviate even the slightest portion of Tsukasa's stress. The swivelling eye of the devil closed shut and melded back together again, leaving only the slightest of wrinkles to indicate it's presence.

It was hard, being cursed like this.

The thought, not for the first time, and certainly not welcomely, came to the forefront of his mind: what would happen to Tsukasa? What will happen once the curse takes hold completely?

Underneath his skilled hands, Tsukasa deflated a little, his spine becoming less rigid, his shoulders relaxing. It was easy to forget Tsukasa is just a boy 2 years younger than himself - especially when he held himself so firmly, when his edges were all diamond hardness and weariness.

Ritsu resisted the urge to run his finger along the mark down to its epicentre, knowing unlikely good would come from it.

Imagine, being born with the touch of the devil and a third eye, without knowing anything else other than ridicule, fear, and neglect. Imagine being born a demon, living in the fear of what will happen tomorrow, unsure if your human body is going to hold out another day or collapse under the weight of a lifelong curse.

Ritsu could only begin to imagine.

Ritsu reached down for the bucket of still-steaming water by his foot, dipped in the cloth and wrung it. He placed the cloth gently against Tsukasa’s shoulders, who sighed and leaned back.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, softly. Tsukasa just mumbled quietly. Never one to express himself too loudly, was he? Taking each blow with a graceful air and a prideful stoicism. Ritsu had no doubt he was in immense pain, and not just the physical kind - the kind which would heal eventually.

“Ritsu-senpai, I-” Tsukasa shook his head, then leaned forward and away. The cloth slipped to the ground, leaving the skin slightly red from heat. He rustled around for the sleeves of the light blue yukata and quickly slipped it back on, not meeting Ritsu’s gaze all the while. Ritsu, knowing Tsukasa would continue in his own time, gathered the cloth, bandages, and the bucket and swept them aside. Specks of blood stained his fingernails and palms from tending to the injuries. Ritsu bit his lip.

Once Tsukasa had gathered up his strength, he breathed in, filling up his space again. His tone was clipped when he finally spoke, completely devoid of emotion as if to detach himself from emotion itself.

“Ritsu-senpai, you have been nothing but kind to me.” he said falteringly. Ritsu waited, patiently. “Even though I - am considered a danger by everyone in the world… You have always been by my side.”

Ritsu wanted to say something in return, but he couldn't think of the words. ‘Of course’ sounded too absolute, ‘you're welcome’, too brazen. But he didn't have to say anything, because Tsukasa stood, fists by his side, and continued.

“By the honour in my name I can't let your kind actions go ungratified.” Tsukasa turned around, still avoiding eye contact, but bowing sincerely. “Please! Let me return your favour in kind!”

What Ritsu wanted to say was, ‘it was no favour at all, I don't expect any reward.'

What he said was, “Stay with me.”

“I- what?”

“That's, uh..” Ritsu got up, reminded once more that he was the taller of the two. Tsukasa, in his shock, accidentally made eye contact - the way his purple eyes caught the light that didn't exist in this darkened room sent chills down his spine. “I mean, I know this place is holy ground and all, so we don't really know how it'll affect you in the long run but I - I don't want you going back home. And getting hurt. I mean. It's - Suuchan?”

He hadn't realised until halfway through his scrambled excuse that Tsukasa was shaking. At first, he feared the worst, until he heard a choking noise and a shaky breath, and realised Tsukasa was crying.

It was quite possibly one of the worst, heart rending sounds Ritsu had ever heard.

“Y- you're so… Your t- too kind t- to me…” Tsukasa bravely managed to blubber, pressing the heel of his palm to his eye. “I - don't un-understand…”

“Suuchan…” Without thinking, Ritsu swept Tsukasa in for a hug, instinctually. Thankfully, he wasn't pushed away, but welcomed, perhaps. “There, there…”

He could almost feel the invisible, unseen third eye watching him, scrutinising him.

“I care about you, Suuchan. Honestly.”

Had he said these exact words before, long, long ago?

Probably.

Of course, Tsukasa wouldn't know that. After his violently restrained sobbing ceased, he pulled away with that trademark expression of sheer embarrassment and self conscious shame. His eyes were still rimmed red with tears. Even so, he remained passive-faced and stony as always.

“Thank you,” said Tsukasa. His voice was fragile and whisper-thin. It wasn't the voice of a demon child, but of a very hurt and very scared kid. Someone like Ritsu. “I'll stay. For a night.”

“I'm glad.”

**Author's Note:**

> twt: [@rittsukasas](https://twitter.com/rittsukasas?s=09)
> 
> this really isn't what i'd usually consider "angsty", but i tried.
> 
> when i was proofreading and i got to the end i was honestly like "damn, i wish there was more so i could know what happened" even though i'm the one who wrote the goddamn fic smh
> 
> if i come up with a proper ending one day, perhaps i'll post it, but for now i will leave it where it is.


End file.
